Housetrends Columbus Fall 2020

“I like to disperse the crowd so I can
really function,” she says.
The fact that Kim and her husband,
Douglas Gaker, like their space, is evident
as soon as you drive up to their
1,800-foot long driveway to their nearly
200-year-old farmhouse. Sitting on
200 acres, their home affords plenty of
breathing room. Scattered nearby are a
pond, tennis court, two barns, an oversized
garage, a guest home, and plenty
of gardens.
Yours, mine and ours
When the couple married six years
ago, Douglas who is a urologist for the
Kettering Health Network, already
owned the home. Kim was owner of
Borcherding Buick GMC and the two
shared a love of vintage cars—and
seven mostly grown children between
them. The newlyweds quickly got busy
blending their families.
As with most families, much of
the bonding was taking place in the
heart of the home. While the original
kitchen was large and had high-quality
walnut cabinetry, the renovation was
30 years old, the space was dark and
the arrangement wasn’t very workfriendly
for Kim. She used the space as
command central for six years, until it
slowly became apparent the room was
due for an upgrade.
“The appliances began going out one
by one,” Kim says. “We decided it was
time.”
Once the decision to remodel was
made, the couple did not hesitate to
call Carrie and John Bordenkircher,
owners of Kircher Design and Build.
The two had previously renovated the
home’s upstairs bath, and Kim and
Douglas knew they were the right
team for this job.
During the initial planning stage,
Kim was focused on creating a farmhouse
kitchen. As John and Carrie
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2 A beverage station includes two refrigerated drawers, which a friend
convinced Kim to include. She was skeptical at first, but loves having
them now. 3 A pot-filler faucet is positioned near the range, but also
above a second sink, making it handy on multiple levels. 4 The stately
island was custom designed for the space and hand built with walnut and
maple woods. 5 Kim arranges flowers grown on the property. Douglas is
a member of the Dahlia Society of Ohio.
22 housetrends.com